J. Krishnamurti's discourse on Ashtha International (May 12) was a delight to watch based on the book - The Awakening of Intelligence - published by Harper Collins. I first came in contact with this great thinker through this book in 1995 while living in New York - far away from home - when such thoughts about the greatness of India strike you most! What got me thinking that compels my actions even today is - 'If there were no books, no gurus, what would you do?' A question worth its weight in platinum! His further elaboration in this discourse can be summed up as follows: 'Living a life of intelligence is to live in absolute freedom without conflict'. (I take the full blame for any gross simplification!)
This question is extremely relevant and extremely potent to the current circumstances we face in India. With the onslaught of Cable TV, there is no dearth for airtime concerning spiritual matters, rituals and spiritualism. The speakers most times on these religious channels are frivolous revelling in what Krishnamurti calls - religious entertainment lacking seriousness, merely jumping from one spectacular amusement to another! A very similar feeling got me thinking about the question - 'If there were no books, no gurus, what would you do?' - when I was exposed to Vipassana meditation in the November of 2000 that is being taught by Shri. S.N. Goenka. (http://www.dhamma.org/). A meditation technique that is very powerful and potent!
The answer I have found based on introspection to this critical question is that - 'you must become self-reliant' - a family secret or value system nurtured and ingrained in my genes by my dear father.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
What India lacks is Great Guardian Citizens ... of course we have politicians!
Looks like terrorism is here to stay ... but does India have 'Guardians' in the truest sense of the word, who can assure its people a safe place to live? Of course, we have politicians!
Newschannel after newschannel is vieing to give a minute-by-minute account of the disaster that struck Jaipur on May 13. Each channel claims to be bringing its viewers an 'EXCLUSIVE' coverage of the serial blasts, with a '...We are the First to bring you this news ...' attitude. One channel says that 1 kg of RDX was used, and the other claims that 9 blasts in all happened using bicycles - newly bought since these cycle frames have a number. Another channel says, ... 'police is still without a clue 24 hours after the incident ...'. Yet another says that these blasts were well organized. Of course they will be! So what?
I wonder whether we are just giving too much coverage and attention to a deplorable act committed by sick minds, instead of focusing on a thorough analysis to prevent such occurrences in the future? If one looks at the innocent child who lays in her hospital bed, badly bruised, it shocks me that we are giving so much importance by relaying over and over again the same heartless activities of rouges and in a sense giving too much importance to their irrational acts.
What is very disturbing and disappointing about the manner in which the Indian media and the press, report on such incidents is that most times, analysis and indepth corelation of information is missing. They all seem to be very much focussed 'in-the-moment' and so nothing worthwhile emerges. There is therefore no action plan that is put in place to figure out what 'should be' the counter measures - if terrorism is here to stay. For instance, these blasts on May 13 have happened just a couple of days after the Pakistani Govt. claimed that the relationship between India and Pakistan was at its best in recent times, and just when there was a serious breach of security in J&K with Pakistani promoted inflitration of terrorists. Why has nothing been done to check the growth of these dastardly acts that have happened in recent years since the attack on the Parliament or the shootout that happened at the IISc on Dec. 28,2005, or the Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad (http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070012485), or the Jama Masjid blasts in New Delhi, or the Malegaon blasts ... and the list can go on. One can write a make-believe list of such events for the next 10 years, and I am sure with a high degree of certainty they will be relevant! Because, NOTHING has been done to study the pattern in this madness and NOTHING has been done to put counter-terrorism as a high priority action item just as the importance that has been given to tracking inflation or the GDP.
We are a country which is always looking out for Divine Help to solve our problems without even making a tiny step toward 'self-reliance' in matters that should consume a lot of our attention. If the mindless dumping of domestic waste in front of your neighbor's gate is any indication of the reckless attitude of 'educated' people in Bangalore - the San Jose of India (??), then, that brings up the question of 'Do we have great Guardian Citizens?' We of course have the Devil - which is out to tempt you at election time!
So, if that was the problem, then what is the solution ?
What is needed I believe are 'Guardian Citizens' who are by a Guardian Citizens Charter. To keep it simple, I will list out 3 points in this charter to begin with, for what should and must be done by tomorrow morning. What this charter must ensure is that it enrolls all people living in a community to abide by these.
First step. Dont litter when your neighbor sleeps! If 1 KG of RDX at 9 places is all that it takes to create so much disaster as has been reported from Jaipur, then Bangalore will be destroyed in no time. And they dont need new bicycles to do this. Slipping the 1 KG pack into the mountain of garbage that an early morning walker is greeted each day on the Bangalore streets is enough.
Second step. Have a solid neighbourhood watch programme. These days, every household or an apartment comes with its own private security. Almost as if the citizens of Bangalore have given up on the local police to take care of them. Enroll these private security guards into a community watch programme to keep an eye (if that is what they are paying to do) on the neighbourhood. Make them responsible to also institutionalize Step 1 (Dont litter when your Neighbour sleeps!).
Third step. Build efficiency into the police operations. Call 100 in Bangalore. It will give you a very good indication of what I mean! Report an incident if you are lucky to get the cop to take down your complaint. It will tell you why we need a shake-up of the police operations. Getting the darn guys to take down my complaint is an ordeal, let alone make them act! Of course, I am will not talk about the nexus that they have with criminals. There is no number, such as the 911 of the US in India, that I can trust my soul's call will ensure a cop in front of my house to address my concerns in a predictable elapse time. And here we are the highest tax payers on earth! I wonder why we pay taxes in India! Coming to think of it, a whopping 50+% of what I earn, goes in both direct and indirect taxes thanks to Chidambaram's contribution of the VAT to burden the Indian society. Of course, that is another topic.
Newschannel after newschannel is vieing to give a minute-by-minute account of the disaster that struck Jaipur on May 13. Each channel claims to be bringing its viewers an 'EXCLUSIVE' coverage of the serial blasts, with a '...We are the First to bring you this news ...' attitude. One channel says that 1 kg of RDX was used, and the other claims that 9 blasts in all happened using bicycles - newly bought since these cycle frames have a number. Another channel says, ... 'police is still without a clue 24 hours after the incident ...'. Yet another says that these blasts were well organized. Of course they will be! So what?
I wonder whether we are just giving too much coverage and attention to a deplorable act committed by sick minds, instead of focusing on a thorough analysis to prevent such occurrences in the future? If one looks at the innocent child who lays in her hospital bed, badly bruised, it shocks me that we are giving so much importance by relaying over and over again the same heartless activities of rouges and in a sense giving too much importance to their irrational acts.
What is very disturbing and disappointing about the manner in which the Indian media and the press, report on such incidents is that most times, analysis and indepth corelation of information is missing. They all seem to be very much focussed 'in-the-moment' and so nothing worthwhile emerges. There is therefore no action plan that is put in place to figure out what 'should be' the counter measures - if terrorism is here to stay. For instance, these blasts on May 13 have happened just a couple of days after the Pakistani Govt. claimed that the relationship between India and Pakistan was at its best in recent times, and just when there was a serious breach of security in J&K with Pakistani promoted inflitration of terrorists. Why has nothing been done to check the growth of these dastardly acts that have happened in recent years since the attack on the Parliament or the shootout that happened at the IISc on Dec. 28,2005, or the Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad (http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070012485), or the Jama Masjid blasts in New Delhi, or the Malegaon blasts ... and the list can go on. One can write a make-believe list of such events for the next 10 years, and I am sure with a high degree of certainty they will be relevant! Because, NOTHING has been done to study the pattern in this madness and NOTHING has been done to put counter-terrorism as a high priority action item just as the importance that has been given to tracking inflation or the GDP.
We are a country which is always looking out for Divine Help to solve our problems without even making a tiny step toward 'self-reliance' in matters that should consume a lot of our attention. If the mindless dumping of domestic waste in front of your neighbor's gate is any indication of the reckless attitude of 'educated' people in Bangalore - the San Jose of India (??), then, that brings up the question of 'Do we have great Guardian Citizens?' We of course have the Devil - which is out to tempt you at election time!
So, if that was the problem, then what is the solution ?
What is needed I believe are 'Guardian Citizens' who are by a Guardian Citizens Charter. To keep it simple, I will list out 3 points in this charter to begin with, for what should and must be done by tomorrow morning. What this charter must ensure is that it enrolls all people living in a community to abide by these.
First step. Dont litter when your neighbor sleeps! If 1 KG of RDX at 9 places is all that it takes to create so much disaster as has been reported from Jaipur, then Bangalore will be destroyed in no time. And they dont need new bicycles to do this. Slipping the 1 KG pack into the mountain of garbage that an early morning walker is greeted each day on the Bangalore streets is enough.
Second step. Have a solid neighbourhood watch programme. These days, every household or an apartment comes with its own private security. Almost as if the citizens of Bangalore have given up on the local police to take care of them. Enroll these private security guards into a community watch programme to keep an eye (if that is what they are paying to do) on the neighbourhood. Make them responsible to also institutionalize Step 1 (Dont litter when your Neighbour sleeps!).
Third step. Build efficiency into the police operations. Call 100 in Bangalore. It will give you a very good indication of what I mean! Report an incident if you are lucky to get the cop to take down your complaint. It will tell you why we need a shake-up of the police operations. Getting the darn guys to take down my complaint is an ordeal, let alone make them act! Of course, I am will not talk about the nexus that they have with criminals. There is no number, such as the 911 of the US in India, that I can trust my soul's call will ensure a cop in front of my house to address my concerns in a predictable elapse time. And here we are the highest tax payers on earth! I wonder why we pay taxes in India! Coming to think of it, a whopping 50+% of what I earn, goes in both direct and indirect taxes thanks to Chidambaram's contribution of the VAT to burden the Indian society. Of course, that is another topic.
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